The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences is an independent, nonprofit coalition of universities, foundations, government agencies, and private sector businesses engaged in environmental risk assessment and biomedical sciences research and development. The goals of The Hamner are to facilitate development of new and safer medicines, guard public health and safety, and contribute to the economic growth of North Carolina and the nation. (http://www.thehamner.org/about/; accessed 4/20/08)